It’s crunch time! Hey, someone has to finalize the Thanksgiving menu, make the grocery list, and decide whose turn it is to sit next to Uncle Ted this year.
And before you even have enough time to regret how many helpings of pumpkin pie you indulged in, it will be time to drink eggnog and unwrap ...

(For those of you who follow the stock market's performance, the inspiration for this post came seven years ago: March 2009, the bottom of the Great Recession's markets. Back then I had no clue that someday I'd be blogging about it.)
How much is a military retirement worth?
The answer is more than just cash ...

As a young Staff Sergeant back in 2002, I found myself in an incredibly awkward position.
It began harmlessly enough.
My foolish attempt at living above my means began to produce a lot of heartache and misery.
It started small and then snowballed into an extreme amount of debt. Over time, I began to live ...

I’m invited to USAA DigitalMilEx Conference again! This year it’s next week (26-27 October) at a San Antonio hotel near their headquarters building. I’ve also been invited to a behind-the-scenes visit on the day before.
USAA DigitalMilEx Answers to your Questions
Please give me your questions and comments-- ...

(Nords note: I'd like to thank Spencer for mentioning that it was hard to search my blog posts by just the title. He pointed me toward the WordPress plugin Smart Archives Reloaded to generate a page which will list every post on this blog linked by month, year, and title. And thanks again, Spencer for this guest ...

In January of 2018, the military retirement system as we know it will cease to exist. Instead, service members who joined after 2006 but before January 1, 2018 will have to choose whether to stay with the existing system or opt into the new “Blended Retirement System.”
Recommended: Beware of Huge Flaws In The ...

First I wanted to title this post "Shift Happens".
Then I wanted to say:
"USAA is saving its members one BILLION dollars!"
But the fact is that USAA is shifting its strategy away from brick-and-mortar member service centers and going with even more features in its mobile app. I expect to learn ...

A reader posted a forum comment about his co-workers:
I'm always intrigued when I hear about recently retired military personnel with pretty good pensions who take new jobs after retiring in their mid to late 40's. If they want to work that's fine of course, but it's pretty sad that many of them probably feel they ...

1.6% Pay Raise Coming In 2015
President Obama recently sent a letter to congress echoing his support for the 1.6% military pay raise. He states:
This decision is consistent with my fiscal year 2017 Budget and it will not materially affect the Federal Government's ability to attract and retain well-qualified ...

Updated on 19 November 2016
Department of the Army Pamphlet 623-3
Evaluation Reporting System
Download: DA Pam 623-3
This pamphlet prescribes the policy and tasks for the Army's Evaluation Reporting System, including Officer, Noncommissioned Officer, and academic evaluation reports focused on the assessment of ...

This list was compiled from the recommendations of dozens of veterans and their families. I've personally read or used all of them and I was not paid, compensated, or otherwise bribed to recommend them.
Many of them are free through a website or local library. The products are all worth their price, but I recommend ...